Lorenzo "Lenchito" Vazquez Lazalde was about 3 years old when his El Paso relatives last saw him in Juárez.

That was in 1954.

His mother, Virginia Lazalde, said her son was at a relative's home playing outdoors when he vanished.

"Over the years, we received rumors that he was killed in an accident in Juárez, and later that he was spirited by different relatives to El Paso and then that he was taken to California, but we were never able to confirm these stories," the mother said.

Others said they saw the boy get on a public transport bus in Juárez after someone called out to him by his nickname, "Lenchito."

"For many years, his father's family refused to talk about him," his mother said. "His father died 20 years ago, and we still don't know what happened to my son. I need to know, if he is alive, that he is all right."

Advertisement

Virginia Lazalde cries and clutches the black-and-white photographs she had of her son as a toddler. She had other children, but has never forgotten her first child.

"I nearly went crazy after Lorenzo disappeared, and searched for him in many places for a long time," she said. "In my latter years, I don't want to die without knowing what happened to him. I know his disappearance was reported because the police in Juárez came to my home to ask if I was hiding Lorenzo. In my heart, I believe that Lorenzo is out there, somewhere."

REPORTER

Diana Washington Valdez

Virginia Lazalde said she would like help in obtaining an age-progression picture of her son that will show what he might look like today.

Anyone with information may contact the family at 915-780-9033 or 915-861-0895.